Shattered By Broken Dreams
by Catie-brie
Summary: Loss. Betrayal. Lust. And Love. These are all things that torment the already fragile Naruto when the one person he could never give up on suddenly returns. But changed for the better? No, that is too much to hope for. [Moved, info on chap. 5]
1. Prologue: Stop Looking

_**Shattered By Broken Dreams**_

Prologue

_Stop Looking_

A cold, unforgiving wind whistled through the grasping fingers of the winter-bared trees like a subdued lament that tore at the heart and soul of those too unfortunate to hear it. But who was there to listen? No one but the two lone figures barely visible through the tangled bramble and threaded branches of the deadened foliage, grey and dismaying— yet, even if they could perceive it, they were too enwrapped in their activities to take notice.

The obvious sounds of a shuffle sounded through the otherwise empty forest as booted feet crunched through the brown leaves that littered the ground thickly. They danced about each other, one desperately graceful in its movement, the other cruelly lissome in its as it ducked and curled in time with the hasty swipes and kicks aimed at it. Finally he, a young man by the look of his stature and features, pressed the other figure, also a man (determined by the same reasons) and most likely of the same age, up against a spindly tree, one hand wrapped tightly around a shaky fist thrust out elbow first to make space between the two and the other pressed against the sweating cheek, the action mockingly tender. The man leaned in so close to the other that the tip of his nose ghosted across the other's ear and satin lips could be felt, as well as heard, as he whispered something softly to the other in an almost intimate manner. That something seemed to steal the very life from the man pressed against the tree and with one silent cry of utter horror and despair, he collapsed to his knees; his lifeless blue eyes staring blankly out into the space before them.

As the man with the graceful steps departed, he took one last look at the fallen boy and, even though his lips twisted into a cold, malicious smirk, his slate grey eyes showed the path to a weeping heart and haunted soul.

* * *

_ This is merely a foreshadowing of the story, the first chapter will be both longer and more informative- all warnings, authors notes, extended summary ETC will be added to the first chapter as well. But first, I have to know what you think, so don't forget to drop a line, especially if you want to see this story live!_


	2. I: Trashed and Scattered

_Hey! Welcome to my first ever Naruto fanfiction ::Inter nifty theme/intro music here:: I don't want to type too much nonsense here, because the more I type, the less likely you are to even read what I have to say. _

**Warnings:**_ I'm just going to list everything off since there are so many little warnings I think you should be aware of in advance- Angst/Tragedy/Gore/Violence/Character Death/Citrus/Lime/Rape (hinted at, but not described)/Lewd Humor/Satire/Probable Drug and Alcohol Usage/Homosexuality/Major Plot Changes, Alterations/Random Numbers Marking Things I feel Like Pointing Out/ Unstable Update Schedule Due To School Work ::Mumbles about teachers out to get undeserving students:: and that's it…for now ::Sheepish grin::_

**Summary: **_Betrayal. War. Lust. Death. These are all things that torment Naruto when the one person he could never give up on returns changed for the worse, and suddenly, his already fragile mind is put under more stress than it can take._

**Disclaimer: **_I can't think of anything witty to say, so: I don't own anything 'cept for the plot and any original character I happen to throw in just so I can kill him/her off. I hate OCs…_

_**IMPORTANT NOTE: **Anything typed before a chapter is something you should read (some chapters will be typed without anything written before them), everything typed after a chapter is just information on the chapter that you might want to read._

_Now, I think I've rambled enough, if I missed anything, I'll post it in the next chapter…So on with the story I go._

* * *

_ hr _

_Chapter One_  
**Trashed and Scattered**

He felt like his body had exploded with pain as he was slammed into the concrete rim meant to protect people from toppling over the roof's edge. His thin body slumped over and his already irregular breath came in and out of his body as shallow, wheezy gasps. He felt a booted foot connect roughly with his tender stomach, which immediately sent him into a fit of horribly raw coughing that ripped mercilessly at his poor throat. Blood, spat from between clenched teeth, spattered the ground between his legs in morbidly beautiful and abstract designs. His disoriented mind caught on the patches of crimson as he pushed himself shakily to his feet, and he stared at them in vague, hysterical amusement; his intense blue optics swam slightly as he forced himself to look straight into his attackers' eyes, a blind determination keeping them hard and unwavering, even as his heart and soul cried violently at the unfairness of it all.

He took a teetering step forward, only to have a course set of hands shove him back to the cold, unforgiving ground and another pair tugged at the cloth around his forehead until a tear in the fabric ripped cleanly apart and left with the cruel hands, taking with it the physical evidence of the boy's shinobihood.

"Monsters shouldn't have these." A hard voice ridiculed with a harsh, demeaning laugh, the person it belonged to dangling the shredded forehead protector in front of him, taunting the boy.

"Keep him down." Another man ordered when he noticed the boy trying to once again get back on his feet- he was quickly struck down.

"Hey, Taki-san(1), how about we just dump him in the alley- everyone's too interested in the loser who just passed out in the middle of the damn street to notice him." A third person remarked as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the commotion down below them.

"Heh, not like anyone would actually _care_. You and Ma-kun (") drop him, I'm gunna go toss this piece of shit in the river- meet up with me later."

The sound of Taki's feet as he departed disappeared as the beaten, bloody shinobi was hoisted off the ground and tossed over the falsely protective edge, landing in a mountain of week-old garbage that hardly softened his fall, but faithfully aided in the taunting aimed at him. '_Trash belongs in the trash ' "What're you talking 'bout? He doesn't even deserve-" _He merely shut out their voices, opting for the more dignified scenario where he would just stand up and walk away, but when he went to do just that, even his legs betrayed him and gave out after only one wobbly step. They laughed at him, their voices clawing at his mind like nails down a chalkboard, scrapping greedily at his sanity bit by bit, before walking away, never giving him another thought as he lay there so pitifully.

Never had he been unable to get back up and walk away, so with one last try, he pulled himself up and almost got half way through the alley before he failed once more in his proud endeavor, and collapsed to the ground in a broken heap.

Uzumaki Naruto didn't get back up.

* * *

Today was not going to be a very good day. At least, that's what Inuzuka Kiba found himself thinking as he all but stalked through the throng of people congesting the streets. He was on his way to the training grounds where he was to meet his teammates for their daily training, but at the rate he was going, it would be sundown by the time he reached their rendezvous- if he was lucky!

He just about had to physically cover his mouth to keep from growling out a colorful stream of obscenities when everyone ahead of him seemed to completely stop and there was nowhere for him to go, even if he wanted to turn away and give up for the day. _What the hell's going on?! _He thought angrily shoving his fisted hands deep within his pockets so that he didn't lash out at the closest thing to him-, which happened to be a tightly knit group of unsuspecting teenagers.

Beside him, Akamaru whined nervously nudging his owner with his massive, white head in such a way that Kiba immediately realized that something was out of place. All anger that had currently been residing in his chest quickly dissipated only to be replaced by apprehension when the faint, coppery scent of blood wafted up into his overly sensitive nose. He didn't recognize it, but he was at least able to tell that there wasn't enough of it nor was there any intense emotion lacing the scent that would show that whatever happened was a threat. As soon as it had come, his anxiety simmered back down- completely disappearing when he overheard a couple talking about someone fainting in the middle of the street (something about claustrophobia and too many people).

It didn't take to long for the queue to begin moving again- albeit _very _slowly- and for the brunette's initial irritation to come back full force. He took a deep, calming breath and quickly began forcing his way to the alley across the street, deciding he'd have an easier time taking to the roof tops- Akamaru would have no problem following, so long as a proper foothold was available.

The boy noticed that by the time he had reached his destination, the street was all but cleared of its human clot, and his trek to the alley had been in vain. For some reason this amused him to absolutely no end and soon he began to snicker, which quickly evolved into giggles and finally erupted into a full blown, bellyaching laugh that had him doubled over and gasping for air; beside him, his massive companion tilted his head to the side in concern and confusion, not quite understanding what was so funny.

With a loud, obnoxious sigh, Kiba straightened up and continued on his merry way, completely forgetting his earlier travail (2) and taking the main road. He was too caught up in his own thoughts to notice the pitiful whimper originating from the pitch-dark alley beside him, or to register the scent of familiar blood as he passed by.

* * *

_What the hell's that noise? _Naruto thought as he grasped at his head with one hand, and used the other to push himself up- he didn't get very far, only a few centimeters off the ground before his arm gave out under the weight of his body and he crashed back down to the grimy, stone floor beneath him. He let out a pathetic whimper when his cheek connected with said floor and the slowly forming headache burst forth from whatever restraint had been holding it back, knocking about the inside of his skull like a rampant jackhammer. It took him what seemed like an hour (but was truly only about thirty seconds) to identify the offending noise as laughter, loud, obnoxious laughter, and when he lifted his crystal blue eyes to see who could be guffawing so, he wasn't surprised to see his friend, Kiba, and his ever present companion, Akamaru.

_What should I do? I don't want him to see me like this, but I need help- even I can admit that! _ He exclaimed mentally, as he once again tried to push himself up. And once again, his arms didn't seem too keen on keeping him supported and bailed out on him- so instead he tried to call out, but even his voice didn't want to cooperate, resulting in another whimper, too low to be heard by someone who was listening, let alone someone who wasn't. And then, the boy was gone, and Naruto was left in the alley way by himself, watching as people passed along on their merry way, never noticing him as he lay on the ground, bloodied and battered.

And despite it all, he managed to tug his lips up into a lopsided grin. _I guess I'll just lay here and wait for my energy to come back, that shouldn't take too long, maybe and hour or two… _His grin turned more sardonic. _Shit, I've had worse- this is nothin'._

When he looked down at the gritty floor beneath him, he noticed several small, round areas darker than the rest. _Great…it's raining.(3)_

* * *

When Kiba finally arrived at the training grounds, the sun had just begun to lower, promising a couple more hours of light, but nothing more. His two teammates, Abarame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata, both sat on a plain bench in complete silence, but as soon as they caught sight of him, both were up and moving before the dog-lover could even blink.

"You're late, did something happen?" Shino asked around his high-collared jacket in his normal, subdued tones.

"A-are you alright Kiba-kun?" Hinata stuttered, pressing her index fingers together more out of habit than discomfort.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," the Inuzuka replied reassuringly, a wide, playful smile threatening to crack his face in half. "Only a minor backup in the ever busy streets of Konohagure."

Shino and Hinata accepted the explanation easily, their companion wasn't hurt and they'd be damned if ever he lied to them with a straight face.

"So what are we waiting for, the moon?" Kiba demanded when a rather comfortable silence had tried to settle in, smashing it to bits. "Let's get started!"

* * *

The sound of running water filled the crisp autumn air. The source was that of the stream that cut through the Shinobi training grounds, twisting and turning until it disappeared into the forest. Many people considered it a river, since over the years the rushing water had dug deeply into the earth, gouging out a thicker, wider path than it had originally followed. It was here where Naruto had managed to drag himself to, after finally gaining full control over his limbs and regaining his mobility, and it was here where he now searched for what was taken from him soaked and stripped down to nothing but his boxers.

He had been in the ally way for little under an hour, and in that time his tainted blood (for he no longer thought of it as anything else) had begun and almost completely mended his wounds. His bruises weren't gone, but the cuts and gashes that had crisscrossed his arms and legs were totally closed up- only rosy scars remained in their place. He even felt that most of his energy had been returned to him, but not enough so that he was able to perform Kage Buushin no Justu(4), which meant that he was stuck at the winding stream that wanted to be a river, looking for his forehead protector in the dying rays of the setting sun.

He didn't really expect to find it before the sun set, especially in the condition that he was in, but he'd be damned if he just gave up on his search. That simple piece of metal, with merely his village's symbol etched ornately upon it, meant more to him that his very life; it was the only physical proof he had that someone out there really did care for him. He smiled at the mere though of his over protective sensei, Iruka, thinking of how much the man meant to him and then about how he was going to go about getting the ramen he had promised him(5).

With these highly distracting thoughts in mind, the blonde went about his search for his forehead protector, unaware of the fact that he was being watched from the tangled branches of the trees lining the too-wide stream.

* * *

_Naruto? _Kiba thought screwing up his face in confusion. _What's he doing here? He doesn't look like he's training, and it's definitely too cold to be swimming._ The sun had nearly set completely, the dying light letting elongated shadows stretch to their limit and chill air to seep into his jacket clad flesh, which made him wonder, if he was cold, how on earth was the blonde headed idiot splashing around in the stream stripped down to his boxers, not freezing to death? He looked like he was searching for something, his movements frantic but pained and hindered as he shuffled through the running water. He could hear labored breath, sounding suspiciously like muffled sobs, and he saw the boy trip more than once on the slick rocks. His tan, well muscled back was covered in irregular shadows of a mottled purple hue that—

_Shit, those aren't shadows at all! _The Inuzuka realized a bit belatedly. No natural shadow looked like the ones stretched out across Naruto's back, which only left him with the impression of freshly dealt bruises. What could the boy have been doing to receive such a thorough beating? He continued watching the blonde from his hiding place behind the brush that grew wildly near the stream with Akamaru crouched down low at his side. He was so intent on keeping Naruto within his line of sight that he didn't realize someone had snuck up behind him until he felt warm breath brush across the shell of his ear. "You know, Kiba, it's considered rude to watch someone without their knowing."

Kiba bit down so hard on his lip to keep from screaming in surprise when those words were whispered into his ear that he actually pierced through its rosy flesh with his too-sharp canines: a thin trail of blood bubbled up around the puncture wounds and lazily began to stream down his chin; but that was the least of his worries. Right now, he was too busy thinking of the best way to throttle his mysterious companion with the least amount of noise to notice the thick warm liquid as it painted a crimson path down the slope of his jaw.

"Jesus Christ(5) Shino! You scared the fucking shit outta me!" He exclaimed in a harsh whisper, throwing a glare at his friend and choosing to ignore the words directed at him. "I thought you went to escort Hinata back home, what are you doing here?"

"It has been nearly half an hour since we left," He answered easily. "I chose to return when one of my bugs told me you were still here."

An uncomfortable moment of silence blanketed the gap of dialogue between the two, a moment Kiba took advantage of to continue watching the all too clueless blonde as he stumbled about the stream.

"If he found out you were watching him, I doubt he would be happy," Shino said after another few moments had passed by rather slowly- Akamaru whined his agreement.

"Well what am I supposed to do then?" He demanded irritably and much more loudly than he had intended- it was not like he wanted to just sit around and watch Naruto flounder arbout by himself in the cold, but he didn't want to embarrass him either! "I doubt he'd appreciate me popping up out of no where in the state he's in right now, and there's no way I'm leaving him by himself like that either."

Abarame was shocked, but did very well in hiding it. He knew Kiba was hot-blooded, but he hadn't been expecting him to get all worked up over the blonde. True, over the years the two had gotten closer, and they could now be considered friends, but that bond had always seemed more like the one that was shared between two rivals with respect for one another- like a mild version of the one Naruto and Sasuke had shared. He had been wary of their relationship for just that reason, knowing all too well how Uchiha and Uzumaki's had ended up.

"I cannot help you with that," he finally said before disappearing.

"Arhg, a good lot of help that did me," Kiba growled before getting up. Despite his better judgment, he was going to confront blonde and try and make himself useful.

Well, that was what he _was_ going to do, but when he turned back to the stream, Naruto was gone.

* * *

_And there ends the first chapter of my first ever Naruto fanfiction. I hope you all find it to your liking, and please, please, PLEASE review so that I might know if I should continue. If no one reviews, then I want continue, it's as simple as that._

_Oh, and if anyone is interested in BETAing this story, or willing to chat with me about where the story is going, drop a line!_

(1)_Taki-Kun and Ma-Kun are both characters from Gravitation_

(2)_I only wanted to point out that I was over exaggerating and poking fun at Kiba's reaction _

(3)_I want to see how many people got that line…I'll explain it in the next chapter if I need to._

(4)_If I spelled that wrong, please, please, PLEASE let me know! _

(5)_I'm aware that 'Jesus Christ' really isn't a phrase that would be said on the show, but it sounded like something an Americanized Kiba would say, so expect to see that phrase more than once (sorry to anyone it might offend)_


	3. II: If Everyone Cared

_Chapter Two_

**If Everyone Cared**

Sakura's training under the Hokage had been, not necessarily harder than she had expected (for she had had high expectations in that area), but far more time consuming than she had hoped. She had spent months on various jutsu without so much as a day's break in between, and when ever she had a little time to herself it was always punctuated with calls from the hospital imploring her assistance. She could never turn them down, no matter how much she wanted to. So now that she had a few days off from training, and she was not on call at the hospital, she was planning on a good, long evening of nothing.

That was why, when she heard knocking on her apartment door (she had long since moved out of her parent's house), she ignored it. It was probably Naruto; he knew not to bug her when she didn't answer the door. He was wise, very wise indeed. So why was he still knocking?

With a growl, the pink-haired medical nin pushed herself up from her navy blue couch and begrudgingly stalked over to the door, ready to give whoever dared interrupt her quiet time a piece of her mind- and fist! She reached the door, which was rattling maddeningly on its hinges, and, without a thought, yanked it open with a bit too much force.

"Kiba!" she exclaimed, all anger and irritation flying from her features at the sight of the boy, a look of worry plastered across his face. He was soaking wet from the knees down, as if he had gone wading through a pool of water all the while forgetting he was still clothed; and everything but his leather jacket was water stained (and even that was beginning to darken around his backside). On his back was another boy completely soaked to the bone, with golden hair and bronze skin- skin that would have been the envy of both man and woman if it wasn't for the whitish scars that zigzagged across his flesh, raised and splotched by eggplant-purple bruises. It took Sakura a moment to realize who it was: "Naruto!" she gasped, moving aside quickly to allow Kiba passageway into her apartment.

"What happened?" she asked as soon as Naruto had been placed onto her couch.

"Fucked if I know," the Inuzuka said helplessly, moving out of the way so that the pink-haired medical nin could examine the unconscious blonde. "I found him in the river that runs through the training grounds and Akamaru found this further up the bank—" one of his hands slipped into one of the pockets of his leatherjacket, from which he produced the prized metal plate of Naruto's hitai-ate (1); only a few black ribbons of cloth remained attached. "Earlier he had been searching for something in the river, which I'm now positive was this, and that's why he's only wearing boxers- I sent Akamaru back to our house to get him a change of clothes. I think he must've gotten into a fight, which would explain why he was passed out in the river."

"Well, most of his injuries are already healed and the only thing he's in danger of is catching a cold," Sakura announced as she was pulling a woolen blanket over Naruto's shivering body. As if on cue, his body began to shudder violently and he even coughed a few times before the warmth of the blanket – and Sakura's healing chakra – sunk into his chilled flesh. "He's already running a mild fever, but for now, I'm not too worried.

"However, I'm a bit concerned about the fight aspect of this situation," she said taking a seat on the floor and motioning for Kiba to do the same. "Don't you find it strange that he's so beaten yet there isn't a trace of chakra, neither his own nor someone else's, anywhere on him?"

"A ya sayin' he just let the guys clean his clock?" Kiba asked incredulously not bothering to sit; he did hunker down into a crouched position so that he could be face level with Sakura, but could still quickly get up when Akamaru arrived.

"Not only am I saying that," she pressed on, not backing down for an instant when the boy glared at her dangerously, a low growl in his throat, "but I'm also saying that this has happened before. A lot of those scars are old, and I mean real old."

"But that's not like Naruto!" Inuzuka burst out pointing an ill directed and accusing finger Sakura's way. "He wouldn't let some punk-ass idiots beat up on him- he's not coward!"

"And who ever said it was cowardly!?" Sakura snapped back, setting Kiba back on his heels, and her telltale temper beginning to surface. "It's the actions of a romantic and you and I both know that Naruto is one of the biggest romantics out there!

"Figures, I've always thought romantics were idiots," she mumbled under her breath, just loud enough for Kiba to hear- he laughed if not a bit nervously. As far as he was concerned an angry Sakura equaled a shit-outta-luck Kiba, and anything he could do to keep her from exploding, he would.

Several minutes passed, and when Akamura finally arrived, Kiba and Sakura were quick to dress the still shivering Naruto in the clothes gingerly clamped between the massive dog's jaws. And then, they waited some more, hoping that Naruto would awaken soon.

* * *

A crystal-blue eye cracked open tentatively, squeezing back shut when the unwelcome light hit the sensitive organ. He tried again, this time managing to keep both eyes open in a squint. He vaguely noticed the dull ache pounding in his head, more interested in his new surroundings- hadn't he just been at the training grounds? "Where…am I?" He croaked for his throat was parched and aching, not allowing him his normal range of obnoxious tones. Off to the side he saw something move, something pink, and strangely familiar.

"You're awake!" It exclaimed. It took him a moment to realize that the pink had been a shock of hair, but when he did his guard lowered.

"Sakura?"

"And Kiba." Another voice corrected, the owner popping up into his line of sight. "'Bout time you woke up. A few scratches and you're out for hours, moron"

Naruto fell silent, a dark cloud passing over his features as he recollected the past few hours' events. But as quickly as the cloud had come it disappeared, replaced by an expertly feigned irritated and rambunctious affect. "Who're you callin' a moron, dog breath?"

His act almost fooled the other two – _almost_; he didn't miss the exchanged looks of concern, nor the grimace that Kiba tried oh so hard to cover up, but for the sake of his lifelong façade that he'd worked so hard to keep up, he pretended not to notice. Plus, he didn't want two of his best friends to start worrying about him; it was bad enough that Tsunade-baasama was always fussing over his well-being – not to mention his two sensei, Iruka and Kakashi; combined they were a force to be reckoned with, but alone they were just plain annoying in their 'subtle' attempts at checking in on him.

"Hey Naruto, can we ask you something?" Sakura inquired after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"Shoot," the blonde answered with a large, disarming grin- his second-best defensive tactic (his first being his amazing acting skills). He could tell that he was making headway in convincing Sakura that nothing was really amiss through his actions, and Kiba did look a bit uncertain, but at the next question aimed his way, he new his efforts were all for naught.

"We've always known you've had trouble with the villagers, but we didn't know they went this far." The pink haired shinobi started, looking at Kiba for help- she was having a very difficult time confronting him. It was glaringly obvious that she just wanted to let everything slide as she had always done before, but the brunette beside her was far from willing to let anything slide anytime soon.

"Why didn't you tell us something?" Kiba demanded, his voice harsh and patronizing, tones that left no room for arguments- Naruto still tried.

"I dunno what you're—" He started only to be cut off.

" Don't you dare start feeding me that bullshit, I'm not dumb, you know." Akamaru whined from his little corner, his ears pressed back at the anger, frustration and concern lacing his master's voice.

"Coulda fooled me," Naruto snapped coolly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Once situated, he leveled the Inuzuka with a glare that could have rivaled Uchiha Sasuke at his best; he took little satisfaction in the fact that he had set the other two shinobi back on heels. "I don't have to tell you two anything, last time I checked, my business is my business alone – and so far, I've done good enough taking care of myself."

"Yeah, you've done a abso-fuckin'-lutely wonderful job in taking care of yourself," Kiba remarked sarcastically after he got over the initial shock of Naruto's out of character behavior— or was it really that out of character for the blonde? "Next time I see you face down in a river I'll be sure to leave you alone – because, god forbid, I don't want to appear as if I actually care about your well being."

Naruto bristled at the sardonic, biting remark, his grip on the blanket pooled around his waist tightened until his knuckle became white in an attempt to keep from hitting the other boy. "You've never cared before," he said mockingly, before he even realized the words had left his mouth. But once they had, he knew he had made a mistake.

The Kiba's hand came down hard and lightning quick, the flat of his palm smacking against Naruto's cheek before the boy could blink, let alone even think about dodging the blow – not that he would. Sakura gasped, but he only vaguely heard her, his immediate attentions on his throbbing cheek and the seething brunette towering over him. There was a hint of hurt behind those dark-brown eyes but it was well hidden and would have gone unnoticed if the blonde hadn't been so good at reading emotion.

"You're nothing but a self-centered, goddamned brat!" Kiba all but yelled at a stunned Naruto.

"Kiba!" Sakura exclaimed at the outburst- her soft heart just couldn't take anymore, but the glare the Inuzuka leveled her way stole any and all objections right out of her throat.

He turned back to the blonde, still not finished with him. "You are such an idiot!" He howled tugging at his spiky brown hair in frustration. "Do you fuckin' think I'd bother pulling you out of a fuckin' river and carry you all the way from the training grounds to Sakura's house to make sure you were okay if I didn't care? Do you think I'd watch over you for three goddamn hours when I could be somewhere else? And do you think I'd lend you me clothes if I thought you better off ass up in a ditch? So tell you me, where do you get off telling me that I don't care?"

There was a moment of silence, one only broken by the Inuzuka's feet as he stomped out of the living room, to the front door which he pulled open with more force than was needed and slammed twice as hard as soon as Akamaru had scrambled out of the way.

Naruto was up in a heart beat, ripping the sheets from around his waist and sprinting out the door and into the night after the angry brunette, leaving poor Sakura all alone, wondering what the hell had just happened to her one day off.

* * *

"Kiba! Kiba— wait up!" Said brunette paid no attention to the calls directed at him as he trudged on, his well-toned legs propelling him from rooftop to rooftop, but alas, neither he nor Akamaru were fast enough to out run the persistent blonde and soon enough, a pair of strong arms clamped themselves around his waist, effectively tackling him to the cold granite of a random rooftop.

"Get off of me, dumb ass," he snarled once he was able to breath properly. Naruto didn't let go, if anything he tightened his grip and no amount of tugging or pulling would loosen the vice like grip – of course, Akamaru wasn't being much of a help either, the massive dog seemed content watching the scene play out before him, as if he knew he really shouldn't interfere.

"No! I'm not letting go until you listen to me," the blonde snapped as he pulled struggled to pull himself up, only letting go of Kiba's middle when he had the brunette's arms straddled to his sides, his rear planted firmly on the small of his back.

"And why the hell should I do that?" Kiba ground out as he worked to at least get himself on his back; his current position was embarrassing, and uncomfortable on so many different levels.

"Because, do- Kiba," Naruto started, cover up the partially formed insult as best he could – calling the boy names would only defeat the purpose of his hasty pursuit and capture. "I want to apologize, alright?"

Kiba glared up at the flustered and obviously desperate blonde; he knew the other didn't apologize all that often, not because it would wound his pride to do so, but he was better at expressing himself through actions rather than words. "Is that all?"

"No. I'm sorry I snapped, you were only trying to help," he said with a very uncharacteristically defeated sigh. "I—just, no one really knows about my problems with the villagers, and when you and Sakura confronted me- well I felt like a cornered animal." He grinned, sheepishly and lopsided.

"Fine, fine, whatever- just get offa me, idiot," Kiba grumbled, unable to keep his bluster up- he hadn't really been that mad in the first place – more hurt than anything. It was only then that Naruto noticed the compromising position the two were in and immediately hopped off, his face flushing a bright red. The brunette would have laughed at the blonde, if his own cheeks weren't also aflame. And it didn't help that his mind kept producing rather creative and provocative situations, all involving a certain demon vessel…

He shook his head violently to rid himself of those images and quickly stammered out an excuse to leave and without waiting for a response he began hopping from rooftop to rooftop, hoping that if he ran fast enough maybe he could get his mind off of the unexpected barrage of pleasant and arousing—_no, not pleasant or arousing! _He screamed at himself mentally, but he knew it was a lost cause. For a while now, he had found himself enjoying the blonde's company more and more- but tonight was the first time he had ever really thought of deeper feeling he might have for his friend.

Did he really like Naruto?

* * *

_Arhg, I'm so sorry for taking so long in updating- I swear, I've never updated so late in my life, and I don't plan to do so for along while. Please forgive me!_

_But anyways, I want you to notice that I changed the summary a bit- is it better? Worse? The old one is in the last chapter, just in case you wanted to check it out._

1. hitai-ate _is just the Japanese word for those nifty forehead protectors all the Shinobi have. _

_And that's about it, please review and tell me what you think!!!_


	4. Good Bye Minna

_Chapter Three_

**Seize the Day**

Naruto listened as Kiba sputtered out an excuse to leave and watched as the brunette sprinted and hopped across the sandwiched rooftops, his massive companion trailing gracefully behind. Had he been…blushing? The blonde found himself wondering. Was he blushing?! He could feel the telltale heat burning beneath the skin of his cheeks and ears, and even the back of his neck was tight and uncomfortably warm.

But what did that mean? He and Kiba always found themselves in awkward positions, considering how often their arguments ended up in mock wrestling matches, so why was this time any different? Kiba was a _guy, _and he did like guys _that _way, right?

No, that's not true. There was one boy that had captured his heart, but he was long gone and had probably forgotten the blonde. But Naruto hadn't forgotten him. Hadn't given up on him. Hadn't stopped loving him.

So what did all of this mean?

hr

_I'm sorry for not updating until now, but I haven't been very happy with this story. So I decided to rewrite it. My new account is _ScreamsoftheLost_, if you're interested._

_Nice knowing you._

_Catie-brie_


	5. One Last Thing

As was requested, I'm uploading one last announcement to tell you that _Shattered By Broken Dreams_ has been revised and submitted to my account titled Keiti-burii (yes, I changed my name, which was originally ScreamsoftheLost). The prologue is now longer, but chapter one is still being worked on. Also, the summary was altered, but it's still basically the same story. Please let me know what you think, and I hope to see you there! If you can't find the account, just PM or e-mail me and I'll send you the URL. 


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